Leadership at All Levels—Make sure your elected officials know of your concerns
Attendees: NC Larry Schulman; Jerry Alperstein NY; Josie Anton FL; Ray Biondo AR; Jerry Blum CT; Mel Brody AZ; Jesse Gersten AZ; Don Haber NY; PNC David Hymes IL; Saul Laub OH; Ron Lebov FL; Greg Lee CA; PNC Monte Mayer NY/VT; George Weinstein NY; Seymour Weinstein NY; Sidney Wolff MO
Staff: NED Herb Rosenbleeth; Larry Richardson; Mrs. Bailor; Cheryl Waldman
Subject: Leadership at All Levels—Make sure your elected officials know of your concerns
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Earlier this month, NC Schulman along with other JWV members attended a Congressional onsite hearing in New Windsor, NY, which included as topics
- Average time to approve a claim is 177 days; average time for appeal is 751 days; to continue appeal additional 245 days
- If veteran files claim for multiple problems and one is refused, applicant must start entire claims process over again; recommendation to not make multiple claims at once to avoid this possibility
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VA complains that money for 2007 FY proposed in 2005; difficulties in estimating need 2 years in advance
- Full mandatory funding of VA would eliminate this problem per Commander Schulman; JWV members must lobby their representatives
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Recommendations of the President's Commission on Care for America's Returning Wounded Warriors
- Commission Recommendations can mostly be implemented administratively and do not need legislation
- President wants Congress to pass needed legislation by Veterans Day
- Six main recommendations from report include:
- Modernizing and improving the disability and compensation systems.
- Aggressively preventing and treating post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury.
- Significantly strengthening support for families.
- Immediately creating comprehensive recovery plans to provide the right care and support at the right time in the right place.
- Rapidly transferring patient information between the Departments of Defense (DoD) and Veterans Affairs (VA).
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Strongly supporting Walter Reed by recruiting and retaining first-rate professionals through 2011.
- Difficult to determine where money for program will come from
- JWV must study recommendations before coming out completely for report since some aspects of report, such as large cash payouts to current returning veterans may pit different generations of veterans against each other
- Most JWV posts do not see difficulty with increase in dues payments
